This is the time of year when I mentally run through some of the best dishes, places and experiences I’ve encountered. I don’t write many of these down during the year as my philosophy is that the truly memorable tastes will be easily recalled as I sit here at the keyboard. At the moment, the following pop into mind.
Anaheim White House: Chef Eddie Meza keeps us in culinary Italian nirvana with his contemporary food that always represents what is currently influencing Italy. And, there are no special dinners more impressive in the county than those done by visiting chefs to this kitchen.
Back Bay Bistro: Located at Newport Dunes, the longtime restaurant got new owners and a complete makeover that’s pretty astounding. The dining room now resembles private club dining and the completely enclosed patio (with a retracting roof for clear and beautiful days) is replete with fashionable furnishings. The newly refined menu features marvelous takes on sandwiches, some stellar appetizers and entrees that put it in an upper echelon category.
Beachcomber Caf & #233; at Crystal Cove State Park: Organic tomato soup laced with blue cheese and topped with a puff pastry crown made my “best” list and this place overall gave us a “must repeat” from the first visit. Part of the Ruby’s chain but individually distinctive. The menu is studded with food that’s unique and rather upscale: mini ahi tacos, panko-crusted avocado with blue crab, tomato tart, rosemary-crusted pork chop and lemon pesto shrimp, for example.
Bluewater Grill: The marvelous look (a prototype for others to come) of the new restaurant at The District in Tustin took them in a new and modern direction from the Cape Cod style of their other restaurants in Newport Beach and outside of OC. A distinct new style of beauty backdrops the best fresh daily global seafood prepared by master seafood chef Brian Hirsty and his well-trained staff.
Costa Mesa Hilton: The hotel spent a lot in order to give OC two complete kitchens, one being the only kosher kitchen in an OC hotel. They are ever more committed to sustainable and organic products for the menu and beyond. Of course, the San Francisco look of the hotel also makes points with me.
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The Counter in Irvine: build your own buger joint. |
The Counter: You pick all the items you dream of in a perfect burger and your special creation appears. I thought by now I’d have a favorite one, but the long list of ingredients keeps me parlaying my burger into a better version each time. It’s casual and oh, so tasty.
Javier’s at Promontory Point: Sturdy and deluxe Mexican decor meets owner Javier Sosa’s signature Mexican dishes, some of them quite contemporary, all of them keeping our taste buds happy. When I spend five hours over dinner, you know it’s well situated on my culinary radar. It’s a busy place, so make reservations.
Las Brisas: The best calamari steak ever. The longtime G.M. Fouad Ziady is one of the most genteel and customer attentive people in the industry, which accounts for the wonderful service under his guidance. The views, of course, are legendary.
La Vie en Rose: While many restaurants now have prix fixe lunches and dinners, there are none better than these modern French-themed ones heavily reliant on the cuisines of Gascony and Provence. This year, we have had several of the $39.75 three-course dinners and also a few of the $19.75 three-course lunches, all of them offering at least 10 entree choices for the price.
Marche Moderne: Just gift wrap it and give it to me as the best present ever. The beautiful French brasserie atmosphere, the modest and appreciative nature of ultra talented chef/owners Florent and Amelia Marneau and their staff and the value priced, utterly delicious “real” French brasserie food and wines are the reasons for its great popularity. I just can’t stay away.
Marrakech: I’ve often said that my last dream meal on Earth would have an entree of Moroccan b’stilla. Along with tagine stews, it’s a national dish of that country. This chicken and almond b’stilla pie in a crunchy crust of phyllo dough turns out to be a stellar version of the classic dish. The rather exotic theme of each evening brings this restaurant to my “best” list.
Mr. Stox: When it comes to a devoted wine and culinary-inclined customer base, it still rides the crest of success. The wine cellar is among the largest in the world, but despite that seriousness, it remains a friendly place where the California cuisine and the tremendous attractiveness make us so comfortable. For winemaker dinners, it’s the standard to beat.
Panera: If restaurants must reinvent the classic Asian chicken salad, at least this version delivers big time in the taste department. The sandwiches are always great and the menu lends itself to flavorful and comfortable dining at all three meals of the day.
Pinot Provence comes immediately to mind for having ensconced LuLu de Rouen, the masterful young prot & #233;g & #233; of super chef and multi-restaurant empire operator Joachim Splichal, as the chef of our local Splichal restaurant situated in the Westin hotel. Just had a dinner with friends there so that we could traipse through a lot of her menu and discover food that puts this restaurant up there with the finest places. Pretty place, good service and now, sublime Euro-California food.
Ritz-Carlton: What a wake-up call! I’ve tried a lot of the menu at Restaurant 162′ since executive chef Rob Wilson and chef de cuisine for the restaurant, John Garcia, came on board, and I assure you it’s hard to find what’s best because it’s an overall reinstatement of what Ritz-Carlton food should and can be. We may not always take sorbet seriously, but one evening’s fromage blanc sorbet even set new standards in that category.
Ruby’s MotoDiner in Irvine Spectrum: This is the latest in their stable of restaurants with a menu that features the best freshly made hot turkey dinner and pot roast dinner at the most lovable prices ($10.99 and $11.99 respectively). Put that meltingly tender pot roast on an Italian roll with cheese for a singularly delicious sandwich, do the trio of Kobe beef sliders on King’s Hawaiian rolls or tuck into one of the signature salads and I promise you will want to return.
Royal Khyber: A lovely and rather elegant place with amazingly good food that’s a draw for both aficionados from London and India. The simmered lamb shank (takes 14 hours on the back of the stove) and the butter chicken are decadently delicious.
Roy’s: Always our fix for contemporary Hawaiian fare. Managing partner Tim Lowen-berg and Chris Garnier, chef/prot & #233;g & #233; of global chef/restaurateur Roy Yamaguchi, blew us away with meals that were the equals of prestigious James Beard Foundation meals they’d done. Also, the butterfish is just remarkable.
Sam & Harry’s in the Newport Beach Marriott: It’s proof of why the original in D.C. is a hot spot for major political names and celebrities. It has a surf salad bar,Monday through Friday for only $16,that reset the bar for deluxe daytime brunching. At lunch or dinner, the crab cakes beat out all competition.
Sage Eastbluff and Sage on the Coast: Owner and chef Rich Mead is a special gift to OC. He’s the only chef we have who goes religiously every Wednesday morning, before dawn, to the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market to personally select fresh produce and other ingredients for his superb contemporary California cuisine. From an entree tinged with Asian spices to the best roast chicken in OC, his food always vaults to the top of my list.
Scott’s: Renewed in spirit, decor and food. Chef Michael Doctulero’s calamari Proven & #231;al-style appetizer is the best to be found, the sole for an entree is a special treat and the best dessert of the year is the cheesecake stuffed beignets.
Wildfish: The Parmesan-crusted sole and Hong Kong style sea bass are two absolute seafood winners and the bread pudding that’s all puffy on top, teetering between a souffl & #233; and a baked Alaska, still ranks among the best desserts I’ve had lately.
The Winery: Sitting at the glamorous bar and ordering a special wine and the yummy Alsatian tart, perhaps a bowl of soup and a couple of their other appetizers makes for the perfect casual meal for me. Moreover, we can afford the wines with their customer-friendly pricing.
